


Squall the Expert (And Not Just on Gunblades)

by kenkai_san



Series: Final Fantasy VIII Series [4]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-03
Updated: 2011-09-03
Packaged: 2017-10-23 09:33:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/248826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenkai_san/pseuds/kenkai_san
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having traveled with three women for quite some time, Squall knows the signs: and what to do. Post-game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Squall the Expert (And Not Just on Gunblades)

**Author's Note:**

> I know everyone has a different idea of how long Final Fantasy VIII was. Did it just take a few days, or months? It's like that with every game in the series, and I think you can argue any timeline reasonably. Personally, I think it took several weeks, or at least long enough for Squall to know about this sort of "thing".

Squall knocked softly on the door. However, he wasn’t expecting an answer. It was merely a warning before he quietly stepped through the threshold, a plastic bag in hand. Once he was inside, he closed the door behind him. “Rinoa, I’m back.” Again, he hadn’t expected an answer; it was just another warning.

Her entire apartment was dark. Angelo was lying on the floor near the bedroom, her eyes wide. She looked as miserable as her master, Squall thought. He went over and gave her a good scratch behind the ears. “I’ll let you out in a little bit,” he whispered before proceeding into the bedroom.

His girlfriend was curled up on her side in a tight ball beneath the sheets. He could only make out a mass of dark hair and a sliver of forehead before the rest was buried beneath sheet and comforter. He set the bag down near her nightstand and leaned down until he was eye-to-eye with her. “Rin.”

There was some movement beneath the mound, and then a head emerged. Brown eyes, so wide and round and dejected, met his. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey.” He reached over, and brushed a tendril of hair from her face. “Feeling any better?”

She shook her head, rustling the sheets. “No. My head still hurts, and…”

“I know,” he assured her.

As if having a head cold wasn’t bad enough, Rinoa was also enduring the untimely arrival of a natural cycle. Squall had traveled long enough with her, Selphie and Quistis to read the signs. Sometimes, it was just a minor annoyance, and they’d only be slightly irritable. Other times, however, the three men on the team made an effort to avoid them and fetch whatever they asked for. Any one of them would have preferred facing a Ruby Dragon on steroids than one of the girls having cramps during “one of those weeks.”

Well versed in handling this situation, he gave her a small smile as he pulled out a few things from the plastic bag. “I got you some painkillers for your head.”

She smiled. “Oh, thank you.” She clasped the little white bottle and popped open the top. She dosed out two pills and swallowed them dry.

Squall didn’t even have a chance to offer her the second thing he got: bottled water. He pulled it out and set it on her nightstand. He smirked as she looked at it, and then shrunk away in guilt. Desperation was a powerful force, and he didn’t blame her for wanting to take the pills as quickly as possible.

“Also got you this.” He produced an instant heat pad, and handed it to her.

She also snatched that gleefully, and while she tore it open and placed it on her lower stomach, Squall lifted from the bag the final piece of merchandise he had purchased. “And most importantly…”

Rinoa’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the enormous chocolate bar. “That’s – that’s huge.”

“Biggest they had,” Squall said, unwrapping it for her. “To hold you over while the meds kick in.”

He broke off a piece, and placed it in her open and hungry mouth. She chewed on it and moaned. “So good. I knew you loved me.”

“Yeah.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry you feel like shit.”

“I’m sorry I do because it ruined our plans.” With quickness Squall didn’t expect from her in her state, she snagged the candy bar from his hand. “I’ll make it up to you.”

He chuckled until she scooted over on the bed, nibbling on the chocolate as she patted the spot next to her. He titled his head and said, “I thought you’d want to… have some space.”

She shook her head. “I could use some company.”

He complied and crawled in next to her. Rinoa snuggled up against him as she took another bite from the bar. “Mmmm. Boyfriends and chocolate. And pain meds.”  
He held her close while leaving her a bit of room to eat.

After a long moment of silence, she said, “Squall?”

“Hm?”

“You don’t need to be anywhere, do you?” she asked softly.

“Well, I did promise Angelo I’d let her out, but then, no.”

Rinoa winced in guilt when he mentioned Angelo. “I barely had the energy to feed her this morning. Thank you. But after that, will you stay with me?” she asked, looking at him.

Squall pressed his cheek against the top of her head. He couldn’t say no, even if he wanted to. “Yeah.”

She hummed in appreciation. He listened contentedly as she chewed on her chocolate bar and leaned against him. Not another word was said.


End file.
